Tuesday, September 30, 2008

I'm a week late with this post. I get so absorbed with trying to listen to everything that's sent my way.....

Noteworthy Albums Released on 9/23/08:

Records I’ve Heard:

Brightblack Morning Light: Motion to Rejoin (Matador) – They don’t seem to play LA ever since his meltdown at the Troubadour a couple of years ago. No loss, the music’s average, neo-hippie stuff that we have our fair share of.MP3: Oppressions Each

Friendly Fires: Friendly Fires (Beggars/XL) – This is a pretty decent indie, dance rock record but not something that I’m capable of fully supporting. At El Rey on 11/3/08

Monkey: Journey to the West (Beggars/XL) – Collaboration between Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorillaz), visual designer Jamie Hewlett and Chinese opera specialist Chen Shi-Zheng. The BBC used some of the music for their spots leading up to the Olympics. It’s another above average listen, but I’ll stop short of fully endorsing it.

These United States: Crimes (United Interests) – Another above average record that should appeal to fans of its genre (slightly Americana, somewhere on the more coffee shop side of blues). At Silverlake Lounge on 10/14/08MP3: Get Yourself Home

TV On the Radio: Dear Science (Interscope) – The only record of the week (that I’ve heard) that really transcends genre and constitutes a must buy. The band incorporates so many disparate elements into a cohesive sound. It might be their most commercial record but still manages to be political, soulful and experimental at the same time. Recommended. Live at the Wiltern on 11/6/08

Local Releases:Cold War Kids: Loyalty to Loyalty (Downtown) – I heard the single on Entourage last week, but I still haven’t heard the full album.

Jenny Lewis: Acid Tongue (WB/Reprise) – I’m definitely in the Jenny Lewis solo camp (especially when you talk about that last Rilo Kiley record). It’s not as immediate and fun as Rabbit Fur Coat, but her fans should be pleased with it. At the Orpheum on 10/30/08MP3: Acid Tongue

The Henry Clay People are having a record release party this Friday at Spaceland to celebrate the release of their newest LP, For Cheap or For Free on Autumn Tone Records. It's a really fun record that captures the spirit of the band. Joining them on the bill will be Le Switch (9:00 PM), The Parson Red Heads (10:00 PM) and Downtown/Union (midnight). I have two pairs of tickets to give away for the show. Email me [dukeufo at gmail] with the name of of your favorite local band. The contest closes Friday at Noon.

You Set the Scene: So I already know you live in Glendale and your brother just moved to Culver City. Where do the rest of the guys live?Joey Siara: Noah lives close to me in Glendale and Eric lives in Tustin. So he’s really far.

YSTS: So where do you guys rehearse?JS: We currently share a rehearsal space near USC with the Kissing Tigers, although we're moving out of that and into a new space with Le Switch next week. It's bigger and cheaper.

YSTS: Where’d the Siara brothers grow up?JS: We grew up in Whitter, then when I was in 6th grade my family moved to Orange County. Yorba Linda – birthplace of Richard Nixon.

YSTS: NiceJS: I guess Nixon went to Whittier College too. So he kinda haunts my childhood history.

YSTS: You guys play the hell out of Southern California. Any plans to take the new record out on the road?JS: Yes! We’re going to take a little jaunt up to Seattle and back. After that, I’m ready for anything.

YSTS: Is that a headlining thing? Or as support?JS: I’m not sure, I don’t book anything. The band won’t let me anymore, I always get bad shows.

YSTS: How long have you been playing music and how’d you get started?JS: Hmm....I started playing in bands in 7th grade I guess but I'd always been into music. My family is pretty musical. Not my dad so much. He's an appreciator. But my mom's whole side of the family is pretty musically inclined and I always tried to be part of the family play-a-longs.

YSTS: That’s pretty much the polar opposite of my family. One time some second cousins started singing at Christmas and totally freaked us out.JS: Nice. That bad?

YSTS: They weren’t fun Christmas jingles, they were serious religious songs. You’d have to meet my family to grasp the absurdity of it.JS: I remember my uncle would force my cousin to sing The Talking Heads’ "And She Was" into a spoon microphone, and that was awkward. Our younger clan didn’t like to be forced to sing. Religious songs can be a drag.

YSTS: There’s a great history of gospel music, but this definitely wasn’t it. Shifting to the new record, which I’m really digging by the way….JS: Thank you sir.

YSTS: The songs seem completely tailor made for your raucous live show. Was the intention to make something that would be fun to play live?JS: As a band, we’re really not much for planning. We’d already been playing a lot of those songs live, so I think that contributed to the vibe of the record. We recorded three or four additional songs that didn’t quite make the cut.

YSTS: How about the lyrics?JS: I don’t put too much stock into lyrics…as long as they aren’t offensively bad. I’m waiting for a band whose lyrics blow me away. But I’m still waiting.

YSTS: Enough about music, how about some corny questions?JS: Bring it on.

YSTS: I like that place, but haven’t been there in a while. Favorite Mexican food?JS: Malo is pretty tasty, just out of my price range. A friend took me to a little place in Highland Park that was great, but I forgot the name of it. Sorry.

YSTS: Favorite burger?JS: The Oinkster. I’m trying to wean myself off of burgers, but Oinkster makes that hard. I’m sure Sylvia will agree with me.

YSTS: I made her try it again the other day. She got the ½ chicken. It was moist, but she’s still not a real believer.JS: We’ll break her.

YSTS: Favorite bar?JS: Most of the time when I go out I’m watching bands, not necessarily enjoying the bar atmosphere. But, I must say that The Prospector in Long Beach will always be a special place.

YSTS: Yeah, I’ve heard great things, but I still haven’t been down there.JS: The Scene is within walking distance, but I’ve only been once since they got the new management.

YSTS: I saw that “Shifty” from Crazy Town is playing there this weekend.JS: Really? That makes me sad.

YSTS: What’s your favorite thing about living in LA?JS: Being able to see a decent show on most nights of the week. It keeps me from getting a good night’s sleep.YSTS: Worst thing about living here?JS: The heat. I melt in the sun. Anything over 85 degrees and I become an awful person. That really limits where you can live in the world.

YSTS: Both solid choices. Your favorite novel of all time?JS: Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke. I typically don’t care for Sci-Fi stuff, but this one was pretty great. It’s about these devil figures that come back to earth and everyone is freaked out by them but they’re there to help humans evolve into some higher being.

YSTS: I’ve seen 2001, but never read any of his stuff. Any must see TV?JS: The fourth season of The Wire. And I’ve been back into watching The Daily Show/ Colbert Report which are pretty top notch these days.

YSTS: We’re just getting into the second season of The Wire. We loved season one.JS: The second is a bit slow, but the third and fourth are amazing. Between Andy and I, we’ve got them all. You can borrow them.

YSTS: We can’t get them fast enough from Netflix.JS: Just get them from us.

YSTS: Do you think late night comedians will be bummed if Obama wins? W has been like their wet dream.JS: Comedy will dry up. Humans will cease to laugh. I just saw the preview for the new Oliver Stone movie about Bush. It looks funny. Richard Dreyfus as Dick Cheney.

YSTS: I’ve never been a huge fan, but I recognize their appeal. One of the more versatile bands for sure. I love all the other records.JS: They can be inconsistent except on that album.

YSTS: Alright, last question. What local bands have you been listening to lately? And I don’t want some 30 band list.JS: I’ll keep it to five. Le Switch, The Parson Red Heads, Les Blanks, The Broken West and the Monolators. Of course the list goes on, but right now, I’m actively listening to those bands a whole lot these days. And I’d be fans of their stuff even if I didn’t know them personally.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

This is my weekly reminder to tune in to Sinking Radio this Friday on Little Radio from Noon to 2:00 PM. Sylvia, Todd and Matt's guest this week will be comedian Horatio Sanz. You probably remember Horatio from such shows as Saturday Night Live and one of my favorite comedies in the past couple of years, Step Brothers.

Each week on the show, they feature an official You Set the Scene pick. Most of the time, I pick a classic older song, or just something weird that means something to me. My pick for this week's show is neither. It's by a relatively new band out of Seattle called The Moondoggies. These guys recently put out their debut record on Sub Pop offshoot, Hardly Art and I've just begun to digest it.

They switch it up between strummy, acoustic songs to Southern boogie, ass shaking, Rhodes-driven tunes. They don't seem to have gotten much press outside of Seattle yet, but there's some really promising tracks for a young band. I like that they list Townes Van Zandt, Leon Russell and International Submarine Band as influences. If you're inclined to that sort of thing, check them out. No local dates scheduled at this time.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

I've got a couple of pairs of tickets to give away for the Restaurant record release show this Friday at the Troubadour. Opening the show will be San Diego's the Muslims who are starting to get some good national press and Dirt Dress. If you haven't seen Restaurant yet, they just put on a damn fun, hillbilly, garage, punk show. Their new record, Return to the Tomb of Guiliano Medici, comes out next Tuesday on Narnack Records.

To win these tickets, email me [dukeufo at gmail] with the name of your favorite restaurant in Los Angeles. Please put Restaurant in the subject line. The contest closes Friday at noon.

Monday, September 22, 2008

I have a few pairs of tickets to give away for The New Year show at the Echo this Wednesday night. Opening the show is A Weather and Modern Memory. If you're an indie rocker, you really should check it out (and pick up their new album on Touch & Go).

To win a pair of tickets, email me [dukeufo at gmail] and tell me what your favorite thing is about Texas. Please put New Year in the subject line. The contest closes Wednesday at Noon.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

I've got tickets to give away for a plethora of shows next week. A couple of weeks back, I gave away tickets to the Silver Jews. Next up...

Next Thursday (September 25, 2008) Mission of Burma will be performing their classic debut, Vs. in its entirety at the Echoplex. Opening the show will be Hank IV (no relation to Hank Sr., Jr. or III). Mission of Burma is one of the most important American bands of the early 1980s. They were clearly invested in punk rock, but helped define artier post-punk by brining in tape manipulation and classic British Invasion influences.

Earlier this year Matador Records reissued a definitive edition of Vs., complete with a DVD of live footage from 1983. They did the same thing with the other Ace of Hearts releases, Signals, Calls & Marches and The Horrible Truth About Burma. The vinyl versions include the bonus DVDs.

To win these tickets, email me [dukeufo at gmail] with the name of your favorite Mission of Burma track. Please add "Burma" to the subject line. The contest closes Wednesday at Noon.

Friday, September 12, 2008

With the exception of a Radiohead review, I haven’t written much about my recent live music experiences. So here you go….

Jenny Lewis @ Spaceland on 9/11/08Damn it was hot last night at Spaceland. By the time I got there at 10:30, the valet parking was pretty much full and there was still a line around the building. I peaked over as Jonathan Wilson but a six foot wall of guitars was obscuring my view of the stage. Jenny Lewis took her sweet time taking the stage. It was right around midnight by the time she finally went on. Her backing band included Wilson, along with boyfriend Johnathan Rice, Farmer Dave Scher, Blake Mills and somebody else (her Myspace page indicates that it’s Barbara Gruska, but I never really got close enough to see that well – plus there were too many balloons blocking the view).

Before the show I was worried that she wouldn’t be able to pull it off without the Watson Twins. But with that band, the songs off the first solo record still sounded great. There was one false start on the piano, as Lewis forgot the lyrics to a new song. Overall, most of the new songs lacked the energy of the stuff from Rabbit Fur Coat. I haven’t heard Acid Tongue yet (the publicist sent it to me, but it’s so copy protected it won’t even play) but several of the new songs wouldn’t have been out of place on an older Rilo Kiley album (although several others have a pronounced Laurel Canyon vibe to them). I’m just listening to the new stuff on Myspace and I remember them playing “Black Sand,” “Pretty Bird” (which was a nice song), “Badman’s World,”

It was so hot downstairs that I had to get some relief by going upstairs (it was at least 10 degrees cooler up there). I made it back down for an acoustic version of “Love Hurts” done by Lewis and Rice in the Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris tradition. Not sure if there were any surprises at the end, because when she announced “this is our last song” I hit the exit. All in all, it was a pretty good show.

Unfortunately my haste to get home was not rewarded. There was a manhunt on the 2 freeway and I got stuck for 45 minutes as the cops searched the ditch with flashlights. Couldn’t they have at least opened the left lane?

Throw Me the Statue / Bodies of Water @ the Echo on 9/10/08As I’ve mentioned, Throw Me the Statue’s songs just keep growing on me. Live, they came off like Seattle’s version of The Deadly Syndrome. Both bands have really good energy, well constructed pop songs with very prominent keyboards. All the songs from Moonbeams came off really well. A couple of the new songs were more introspective (and not as fun live) but they’re a new band well worth keeping your eye on.

As you’ve probably figured out by now, I’m not a Bodies of Water fan. I gave them another shot on Wednesday night (probably more of a shot than I’ve ever given them). It’s just too much. Seeing the lead singer in her black unitard, with her eyes in back of her head and staring/reaching towards the sky. As my friend said, “it really is a bit Jesus Christ Superstar, isn’t it.”

Marching Band / Radar Bros. / Dios (Malos) @ Spaceland on 9/8/08This was billed as the US debut of Sweden’s Marching Band. It was nice, pleasant indie pop. Nothing more to say really. Probably not your new favorite band, but a good band if you’re into that sort of thing.

This was the debut of the Radar Bros. featuring Stevie Treichel from the Movies on drums. He’s a great addition to the band. He speeds up the tempo a little, but stays true to the Radar Bros. sound. Really good shit, I never get tired of seeing them.

It’s been a few years since Dios (Malos) has put out a record, so a lot of the songs were oldies but goodies. I’m curious to hear what they come out with next.

Really old stuff I never got around to writing about:

Trans Am / Polvo @ the Echoplex on 8/31/08I got there late and only caught a few Trans Am songs. Too bad, because what I heard sounded really good. I was a huge Polvo fan back in college, so I was excited to see them again. It got really jammy and the set list was kind of weird. There were a few really great moments, but there is a reason I haven’t written about it until now.

Beachwood Sparks @ the Echoplex on 8/22/08Starting in the late 1990s I saw the Beachwood Sparks a lot. From their early days as an energetic six piece, all the way through the final days when they sat down on stage and sounded stoned. They were one of the bands that got me really interested in the Byrds (and one of the first I heard talking about Gram Parsons and Dennis Wilson).

The show at the Echoplex was imperfect, but really promising. It was a return of good energy and joy to be playing. And it’s always good to see Farmer Dave Scher back in the mix as well. The stage was packed with old school B.S. (original members) Chris Gunst, Brent Rademarker and (early member) Aaron Sperske and new school B.S. members: Ben Knight, Jen Cohen-Gunst and Dan Horne. The sound was muddy and mixed poorly at first, but improved by the middle of the show. They played all the songs I loved off the first record and added some rarely played songs as well (including “Ponce de Leon Blues” with Mia Doi Todd).

With the popularity of bands like Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses and Bon Iver, it’s obvious that Beachwood Sparks bring something very relevant to the table. I didn’t make it out the Junction this year, but I’m sure they’ll get better and tighter with each appearance.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Here's my weekly reminder to tune in to Sinking with Sylvia and Todd (and Matt Dwyer) tomorrow on Little Radio from Noon to 2:00 PM. Their guests tomorrow will be Vibe Slayer who I don't know too much about, but I see that Charlie Wadhams and Josh Schwartz play with them (and that's a really good start).

The official You Set the Scene pick for tomorrow is Okkervil River's "Singer Songwriter" off their new record, The Stand Ins. As you've probably read a hundred times by now, the record's a continuation of their last record. The songs mostly revolve around the concept of stand ins and deal with public vs. private faces, fame and celebrity. It admittedly sounds a little suspect o paper, but it's all executed extremely well. As I mentioned earlier, it's not as immediately catchy as The Stage Names, but(easily) has five or six really strong tracks.

I'm already running crazy late for Spaceland, so I'll stop at that. Pick up the record though. And tune in to Little Radio tomorrow.

Albums I’ve Heard:The New Year: The New Year (Touch & Go) – I first got into the Kadane Brothers back in the Bedhead days circa 1994 or 1995 when my old roommate and I went to see them at the Replay in Lawrence, Kansas. There was a year or two where I went to sleep to Bedhead every day. I was pleasantly surprised when I heard The New Year had booked a show at the Echo, because I had no idea they were still around. And now a new album. The record’s classic Kadane Brothers. Most of the time Matt still sounds like he’s about 10 minutes away from hanging himself, but the way they slowly build a song is still fantastic. Recommended.Live: The Echo on 9/24/08MP3: The Company I Can Get (choice lyric: “the redneck in the red Corvette”)

Okkervil River: The Stand Ins (Jagjaguwar) – Maybe not quite as solid all the way through as last year’s The Stage Names (my favorite record of 2007) but it’s still damn good. I’ll write more about it later tonight. RecommendedLive: The Fonda on 9/23/08MP3: Lost Coastlines

Emiliana Torrini: Me and Armini (Rough Trade) – She sang the song at the end of the second Lord of the Rings movie. She’s Icelandic. She makes adult, Morning Becomes Eclectic type of music. Not really my wheel house, but it’s pretty pleasant.MP3: Me and Armini

Woodhands: Heart Attack (Paper Bag) – This type of music is definitely not in my wheelhouse, but it’s still pretty popular. Indie, electro dance music along the line of Does It Offend You, Yeah? Live: On the Rox on 9/13/08MP3: DancerMP3: I Wasn’t Made for Fighting

Local Releases:The Broken West: Now or Heaven (Merge) – Another one of my most eagerly anticipated records of the year, and another success. The influences from the first record are still there (Teenage Fanclub, Badfinger, etc.) but the songs are more dynamic. The record has a more cohesive vibe and feels more like the product of a band. Not all the songs are jams, but some of my favorite tracks are more introspective (like "Ambuscade" and "Elm City"). And I really dig the layers of synths and pianos on "House of Lies" too. Lyrically, it's a very dark album. I just wish Merge would have released it on vinyl. Recommended

Meiko: Meiko (Myspace Records) - Another artist springing out of the Hotel Cafe. I haven't heard this yet.Live: Hotel Café on 10/10/08

Tweak Bird: Reservations (Volcom) - One of the sickest album covers I've seen in a while. There are a few strong tracks here, but it doesn't hit as hard as their live show. Definitely check them out if you're into heavy duos with that weird Mike Patton edge to them.Live: Silverlake Lounge on 9/17/08